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Similar to many other initiation myths, Gilgamesh has to overcome obstacles such as the scorpion monsters that bar his way.
The intense desire that Gilgamesh has to find the answer to eternal life is shown in the poem by the fact that he rejects the advice of Siduri to accept the limitations of the human condition. He also has to travel over the Waters of Death. When he meets Utnapishtim he is told the story of the flood and the decision of the gods to destroy mankind, and how Utnapishtim obtained everlasting life.
Utnapishtim makes Gilgamesh undergo certain tests in order to obtain the gift of immortality. However Gilgamesh fails the test to stay awake for a week. As he is departing, Utnapishtim's wife persuades her husband to tell Gilgamesh about a certain plant that restores youth. Gilgamesh takes the plant with him to share with others in Uruk. However this also fails and a snake steals...
However he has learnt to accept his human nature and the limitations of the human condition. He has also become aware that although he as an individual will not be able to live forever, yet humanity and human society does continue through the generations. In this way he has learnt to accept his mortality.
His changed view of life allows him to see the city in a different light and he recognizes the importance of the monuments and buildings as symbols of human life and endeavor, even in the face of death. In the final analyses Gilgamesh attains to a sense of dignity in the realization that the mortal condition of mankind must be accepted. This also makes him realize that true immortality lies in the continuation of culture and civilizations; which are larger and more enduring than individual life.
Gilgamesh and God The cultures of ancient times were often dominated by the religious system and religious ideology of the populous. Many stories from ancient cultures define how that culture viewed those in power, either secular power such as their king or religious power such as their deity. Often, the two types of authority were combined so that the king was in some way descended or connected to their god or
" (97). However, as both Utnapishtim and Siduri (the tavern keeper Gilgamesh meets on his journey) stress, and Gilgamesh eventually embraces "death is inevitable…" (107-108). "When the gods created man they allotted to him death, but life they retained in their own keeping. As for you, Gilgamesh, fill your belly with good things; day and night, night and day, dance and be merry, feast and rejoice. Let your clothes be
184-98). Nonetheless, the reason for the flood is never ultimately elucidated, and even the gods themselves admit that whatever the original reason, flooding the entire world was probably an overreaction. Thus, Enlil's granting of immortality to Utanapishtim may be seen as the recompense he must pay for having caused so much destruction; having taken the lives of most of humanity, Enlil must now give the remaining representatives of humanity, Utanapishtim
Gilgamesh the King Gilgamesh is properly the oldest written and most widely read ancient stories. The man, his desires and achievements have been discussed several times by several different authors, thereby immortalizing the king. Interestingly this was what the king had always dreamed of- to become immortal and his quest for a life devoid of death turned him into a more considerate, compassionate and just ruler. In this paper we shall
The fear of death and pain of grief continue to intrigue present readers because these are reoccurring issues in our daily lives, which calls for further speculation and deciphering through present, future, and past writings. As previously stated, if we can understand our history better, we may be able to understand life better. and, that is where the reading of Gilgamesh comes into play for people of today. While my
Gilgamesh and Aeneas The Epic of Gilgamesh and Virgil's Aeneas exemplify ancient epic poetry. Both works trace the psychological evolution of a semi-divine male hero who meets with immense personal trauma and hardship. Gilgamesh mourns the loss of his only companion, Enkidu, while Aeneas experiences the loss of his family, his people, and his homeland. In both cases, the pain transforms the hero into a wiser, more human leader. The ability